BUTTERMILK
BISCUIT RECIPE
An American Biscuit
BY
PETER AIKEN
http://www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm#Best%20Buttermilk%20Biscuits
I have been looking for a 'best' biscuit recipe without vegetable shortening/Crisco for a long time. Many say that the best biscuits use vegetable shortening (or lard). This recipe uses butter exclusively and it is the best tasting biscuit I've ever made/eaten.
Peter says, "Don't expect this or any biscuit recipe to be perfect the first time you make it." The imperfection was surely mine, as I plan to improve on it by rolling it a little thinner. I baked them convection at approximtely 415F, but after 10 minutes of baking, I checked my Taylor oven thermometer and it read 450F. I baked them for 7-1/2 minutes first, and then kept adding time in increments of 1-2 minutes, which I didn't keep track of; the total time was probably 13 minutes, maybe even more. This tells me my measurement of 1/2" thickness was probably off. The total amount of biscuits was seven (7).
Picture below.
Peter's recipe:
My wife developed this recipe over the years. Outstanding biscuits! Don't expect this or any biscuit recipe to be perfect the first time you make it. It takes a little experience to get to know the right feel of the dough.
2 cups flour (low gluten such as White Lily)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Preheat oven to 450° (conventional) or 415° (convection). Convection gives the most even cooking.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles corn meal. Add buttermilk, stirring until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead well at least 30 seconds. Roll to 1/2" thickness. Cut as desired. Place on non-stick baking sheet or greased regular baking sheet. Knead remaining scraps together into a ball, roll out, and cut more biscuits. Repeat as often as needed. Brush with melted butter. Let sit 5-10 minutes on baking sheet before baking. Bake 12-15 minutes in regular oven or 7-1/2 to 8 minutes in convection oven. They will double or triple in height and become lightly browned on top.
Notes:
1) White Lily brand all purpose flour works the best. Do
NOT use White Lily Self Rising Flour.
2) The dough is very sticky and soft when you first start
kneading. Keep kneading on a well-floured surface until you can
roll it out.
3) Kneading the biscuit dough for at least 1/2 minute improves the
texture of the biscuits.
2 biscuits baked by Dee 13 July 2005
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This page was created
7/13/2005
This page was last updated: 07/13/2005